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The best road trips in Europe

Watch the sun rise over the fjords in Norway, twist up the Apennine roads in Italy, visit fairy-tale castles in Germany and drive on the best road in the world, the Transfagarasan in Romania . There's no better way to see Europe than by car. Here are our finest European road trips:

Transfagarasan, Romania
The Transfagarasan mountain road or national road 7C is one of the most spectacular roads in the world. It is 90 km (56 miles) long and is located in Romania. It runs trough the Fagaras mountains (trans + Fagaras), a part of the Transsylvanian Alps, and past Dracula's castle. In September 2009, the British television show Top Gear was filming along the road. Host Jeremy Clarkson claimed the Transfagarasan to be the best road in the world.

Norwegian fjords, Norway
This road trip takes you to Norway. We travel from Bergen to Trondheim along fjords, mountain landscapes and waterfalls. We drive trough the longest road tunnel in the world, climb the troll path and take the spectacular Atlantic Road over the ocean.

Romantic Road, Germany
What was once a medieval trade route is today charming road trip. Germany's Romantic Road still retains much of its medieval character. The road winds through forgotten sections of countryside, connecting small towns and picturesque villages. You will discover completely walled towns with arched gateways and towers. Inside the walls we find gothic churches, half-timbered houses and other beautiful historic buildings.

Great Alpine Road, France
The Route des Grandes Alpes (Great Alpine Road) is a 684km long route trough the French Alps. This alpine road trip takes you from lake Geneva to the Mediterranean and includes some of the highest and most beautiful mountain passes in Europe.

Antrim Coast Road, North-Ireland
A part of the A2 in Northern Ireland, called the Antrim Coast Road, is one of the most famous road trips in the world. A large section of the road is winding trough the countryside, following the scenic coastline. Some parts are even built between large 100m high cliffs and the sea.

Nürburgring, Germany
Hidden in the German Eifel Forest, lays the ultimate driving experience for non-professional race-drivers: the Nürburgring Nordschleife, better known as “the Ring”. With its length of 21km (13 miles) and lots of demanding bends it was nicknamed The Green Hell and is considered the toughest, most dangerous and most demanding circuit in the world.

Battle of the Bulge, Belgium
This historical road trip takes us back to largest and bloodiest battle the Americans fought in World War II. The Battle of the Bulge was the last major German offensive toward the end of World War II. The operation with code name Wacht am Rhein was planned by Hitler himself and would slow the allied advance on the Western front severely if carried out successfully. We retrace the steps of the invading German forces.

Mille Miglia, Italy
The Mille Miglia, or thousand miles, was an endurance race that was organized 24 times between 1927 and 1957. Participants raced with their Gran Turismo cars over the open roads of northern Italy from Brescia to Rome and back on an 8-shaped route. Due to frequent fatal crashes the race was banned in 1957, but since 1982 it was revived as a touring trip for old-timers. We went to Brescia and followed this legendary route trough the stunning landscapes of northern Italy.

Siciliy by oldtimer, Italy
We are in Sicily, Italy, for a special kind of road trip. We land at the Catania airport where we rent an old Alfa Romeo Giulia to discover the eastern part of the island. At the coffee corner we meet Ben, the owner of the old timer road trip company Sicily by classic. He takes us to Linguaglossa, the start point of our trip. Like a real Italian he races trough the busy airport traffic while using the horn and hand gesticulations very often. We are in Italy, so much is clear.

Alpenstrasse, Germany
The German Alpenstrasse (Alpine road) is an exhilarating route full of twists and turns that runs for a distance of over 450 km between Lindau and Berchtesgaden. The stunning Alpine landscapes offers the visitor a varied and magnificent panorama. The route takes you past numerous mountain lakes, Alpine meadows, magnificent castles and guys in lederhosen (we promise you’ll see one at least). This is a German road, not a French one, so the lanes are wide and the speed limits generous.

Ring Road, Iceland
A small guy named Frodo once had a ring with the inscription: One Ring to rule them all. If the had a GPS in Middle-Earth, it would point him not the way to Mordor, but directly to Iceland. There they have a road unlike any others: the Ring Road, or Route 1. 830 miles of adventure and surprises, majestic lava fields mingle with snow-capped mountains to create a world that would make our little Hobbit feel like he still is in Middle-Earth. This road trip is epic and unforgettable in many ways: relax in natural hot springs and see the erupting geysers, walk on the ancient ice of glaciers and explore volcanic craters.

Scotland, UK
Scotland, located in the northern part of Great Britain, seems to be made for road trips. The stunning landscapes, great roads and charming villages are waiting here to be explored. You have to be a bit lucky with the weather (it often rains here), but during summer you can discover the land of whiskey and the monster of Loch Ness at its best.

Amalfi Coast, Italy
The Amalfi Coast, located along the southern flanks of the Sorrento Peninsula near Naples, is by far Italy's most scenic stretch of coastline. A landscape with cliffs rising out of the sea, medieval villages terraced into hillsides is what you can expect. No wonder that Unesco decided to add this unique Mediterranean landscape to the World Heritage list in 1996. The Amalfi Drive, which we follow, is a narrow road that threads along the high cliffs above the Tyrrhenian Sea. Add in drop-dead views and mad Italian drivers, and this will be a road trip to remember.

Alsace wine route, France
The Alsace wine route or route des vins d'Alsace twist through the valleys near the Franco-German border. Although the route itself is not that long, there is much to experience and taste in the many picturesque towns and villages we will pass. This route is ideal for gourmet excursions.

Chianti wine route, Italy
In this article we follow the Chianti Wine Route or Chiantigiana (SR 222) throughout one of Italy's most beautiful and charming regions. The road swings through the Tuscan hills of the Chianti Classico wine region along thousands of hectares of vineyards, all of which produce the Chianti Classico DOCG (the highest classification for Chianti). We leave in Florence and drive along the many picturesque villages to Siena.